Top 10 Richest Men in the World: The combined net worth of the world’s top 10 billionaires has soared to nearly $2.5 trillion as of January 2026. Elon Musk made history in October 2025 by becoming the first person ever to surpass $500 billion in net worth.
A major shift occurred in 2025: Bill Gates dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 1992, ending a 33-year streak. Tech billionaires dominate the list, with 9 out of 10 being American.
Please be aware that market forces impact stock prices, so these net worths fluctuate daily.
1. ELON MUSK
Net worth: $671.4 billion
Age: 54
Residence: Austin, Texas
Citizenship: U.S.
Primary Sources of Wealth: Tesla (electric vehicles, AI), SpaceX (aerospace, Starlink), X (formerly Twitter), xAI, The Boring Company, Neuralink
Elon Musk shattered records in 2025. In October, he became the first person to surpass $500 billion net worth. By Christmas Eve 2025, his fortune reached $638 billion and continued climbing into 2026. Analysts predict he could become the world’s first trillionaire by 2027.
Musk cofounded PayPal in 2000, founded SpaceX in 2002, and joined Tesla as an investor in 2004 before becoming CEO in 2008. Tesla’s market cap continues to drive his wealth.
2. LARRY ELLISON
Net worth: $290 billion
Age: 81
Residence: Lanai, Hawaii
Citizenship: U.S.
Primary Source of Wealth: Oracle Corporation (enterprise software, database technology, cloud services)
Larry Ellison set a historic record on September 10, 2025: the largest single-day wealth increase ever, gaining $101 billion after Oracle shares jumped 41%. This briefly made him the world’s richest person, overtaking Musk.
Ellison cofounded Oracle in 1977 and served as CEO until 2014. He now serves as chairman and CTO.
3. LARRY PAGE
Net worth: $252 billion
Age: 52
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Primary Source of Wealth: Alphabet Inc. (Google co-founder)
Larry Page co-founded Google with Sergey Brin in 1998 during their Stanford PhD program. He served as CEO from 2001 to 2015 and remains a board member of Alphabet.
4. SERGEY BRIN
Net worth: $241 billion
Age: 51
Residence: Los Altos, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Primary Source of Wealth: Alphabet Inc. (Google co-founder)
Sergey Brin came to the U.S. from Russia at age 6. He co-founded Google with Larry Page in 1998 and is now the richest immigrant in America. He stepped down as Alphabet president in 2019 but remains a controlling shareholder and board member.
5. JEFF BEZOS
Net worth: $233 billion
Age: 61
Residence: Miami, Florida
Citizenship: U.S.
Primary Source of Wealth: Amazon (e-commerce, cloud computing – AWS), Blue Origin (aerospace)
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 in his Seattle garage. He stepped down as CEO in July 2021 but remains executive chairman. He now owns about 9% of Amazon after selling and donating shares over the years.
6. MARK ZUCKERBERG
Net worth: $215 billion
Age: 40
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Primary Source of Wealth: Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, AI)
Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook (now Meta Platforms) at Harvard in 2004. Meta now has over 3.9 billion monthly users across its platforms. Zuckerberg owns about 13% of the company.
7. BERNARD ARNAULT
Net worth: $183.6 billion
Age: 75
Residence: Paris
Citizenship: France
Primary Source of Wealth: LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (luxury goods conglomerate)
Bernard Arnault is CEO and chairman of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company. His portfolio includes Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Tiffany & Co., and Sephora. He was briefly the world’s richest person in early 2023.
8. JENSEN HUANG
Net worth: $127 billion
Age: 61
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Primary Source of Wealth: Nvidia (AI chips, GPUs, data center technology)
Jensen Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and has served as CEO since. Nvidia’s dominance in AI chips drove his wealth to new heights in 2025 as demand for AI infrastructure exploded.
9. MICHAEL DELL
Net worth: $118 billion
Age: 59
Residence: Austin, Texas
Citizenship: U.S.
Primary Source of Wealth: Dell Technologies (computers, enterprise technology)
Michael Dell founded Dell Technologies in 1984 from his University of Texas dorm room. He took the company private in 2013 and brought it back to public markets in 2018.
10. STEVE BALLMER
Net worth: $117 billion
Age: 69
Residence: Hunts Point, Washington
Citizenship: U.S.
Primary Source of Wealth: Microsoft (former CEO, equity stake), Los Angeles Clippers (NBA team)
Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft as employee #30 in 1980 and served as CEO from 2000 to 2014. He owns the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, purchased for $2 billion in 2014.
NOTABLE CHANGES IN 2025-2026
- Bill Gates dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 1992, ending a 33-year streak. His extensive philanthropy through the Gates Foundation has reduced his net worth.
- Warren Buffett also fell out of the top 10 due to his continued charitable giving.
- Jensen Huang entered the top 10 as Nvidia’s AI chip dominance fueled massive stock gains.
- Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest person, dropped just outside the top 10.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A. Who are the top 10 richest people in the world in 2026?
- Elon Musk
- Larry Ellison
- Larry Page
- Sergey Brin
- Jeff Bezos
- Mark Zuckerberg
- Bernard Arnault
- Jensen Huang
- Michael Dell
- Steve Ballmer
B. Who is the richest man in the world?
Elon Musk is the world’s richest person as of January 2026, with a net worth exceeding $671 billion. He became the first person to surpass $500 billion in October 2025.
C. Who is the richest woman in the world?
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers of France remains the world’s richest woman, with a net worth of approximately $100 billion from her stake in cosmetics giant L’Oreal.
D. Who was the richest person in history?
In the 14th century, Mansa Musa ruled Mali and amassed a fortune in gold, making him arguably the wealthiest individual of all time. However, Elon Musk is now on track to potentially become history’s first trillionaire.